At 42 pounds for a size-medium step-through frame, the Civia Parkway weighs about 15 pounds less than a lot of urban e-bikes. The only other model I’ve reviewed that I could say this about is the elegant Faraday Porteur, which weighs 2 pounds less but provides a fraction of the range—25 miles versus the Parkway’s claimed 110. But that’s best-case scenario. As with all e-bikes (and cars, for that matter), how far they’ll go before they run out of gas depends on many factors—how fast you’re going, which mode you’re in, how much you weigh, whether or not you’re hauling cargo, tornadoes, hurricanes, stop lights, you know the spiel (Bosch has a super cool calculator that lets you estimate range). Still, I can attest that I could grab the Parkway at random times for both long and short rides over the course of a week and ride it mostly in turbo mode (because, let’s face it, that’s where the fun is) before throwing it back onto the charger. And even then, the battery was never more than halfway drained.

5 Features We Love About the Parkway

Balanced Ride

The low and centered location of the battery and motor makes for a more balanced ride.

Comfort in Hand

Faux-leather grips and a MicroShift 9-speed shifter are a natural fit in your hand.

Bosch’s Purion is the company’s lightest and most basic on-board computer.

Utility Capability

Mounts let you add fenders and a rear rack (which has a carrying capacity of 30 pounds).

A mid-drive Bosch Active Line motor and PowerPack 400Wh battery keep this solid little city e-bike humming quietly and smoothly. I was especially impressed on moderate climbs, where it felt like I hitched a ride on an escalator for a speedy cruise to the top. On flats and rolling roads, you’ll feel power boosts or the motor cut out as you push into the pedals or ease up, especially above the 20mph max pedal assist. Takeoffs at stop signs are more gradual than instant, but at times you’ll also forget you’re powered at all—not because the Parkway doesn’t snap to, but because the motor is so quiet (a key feature of Bosch’s Active Line unit), the ride so even-keeled, and the bike so light.

A lightweight mid-drive Bosch Active Line motor hums along in silence.

Trevor Raab

Parkway Family

The only other Parkway option is the Step-Over. Everything about it is exactly the same as the Step-Thru, except the color. The Step-Over is available in clay gray; the Step-Thru comes in the teal you see here.

Component Highlights

With 26-inch wheels, 2-inch Kenda Kwick Roller Sport tires, a 42-pound total weight (with battery installed), round aluminum tubes, and a swept-back handlebar, the Parkway feels like a city bike first. In fact, its shape isn’t that much different than that of the company’s non-motorized Civia Lowry Step-Thru. Add all of Bosch’s simplest and lightest-weight e-accessories—Active Line motor, 400Wh battery, Purion computer—and the Parkway goes from comfy city bike to zippy e-bike ready for bigger hills, faster roads, and peppier riding.

Gearing from the Shimano Sora 9-speed derailleur and SunRace 11-32 cassette helps you zip through town and up mild climbs. In fact, I was surprised—not just the first time, but every time—at how easily the Parkway motored to the top of hills, even one with a loose coating of grape-sized crushed stone #57, the type used for drainage. When I did have to shift gears, I appreciated that the MicroShift Xpress 9-speed shifter fit naturally beneath my finger and thumb.

A super-sturdy, center-mount kickstand has a large base to keep this bike from toppling over.

Trevor Raab

Add-Ons

The Parkway has mounts for fenders and a rear rack, which can hold a maximum weight of 30 pounds. Fortunately, this bike comes with an incredibly sturdy, center-mounted kickstand that proved its stability on everything from uneven sidewalks to a river rock driveway and rain-saturated lawn.

Ride Impressions

With the Parkway, what you see is what you get. For an e-bike, it’s refreshingly simple. The frame has classic tubes and lines. The electronics are easy to operate. Even the kickstand has old-school cool. At less than three grand, the Parkway is also more attainable than some fancier e-bike models, which is perhaps the most appealing feature of them all.

It’s efficient, too. I could grab it on a whim, hit the power button on the top of the computer, and start pedaling. The battery always seemed to be juiced enough to get a ride in. If you plan to go longer, though, a full charge takes about 6 hours with the included compact charger, according to Bosch. That’s as easy as plugging it in overnight so it’s ready to go for an early morning commute.

The Parkway can best be described as a city bike that also happens to have a motor. Because of its low weight of 42 pounds, its traditional frame shape, and its upright cruising position, it feels like an everyday townie. But with the added zip of the motor, you won’t hesitate to get in line behind traffic at a stoplight or explore roads that keep taking you farther from home or ride all the way down a hill knowing you have to come all the way back up.

This is how I spent my time on the Parkway—always having fun, never worrying about becoming stranded.

jennifer sherryJen is the associate test director for Bicycling and Runner’s World.

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